The Florida Nurses Association (FNA) has just elected Dr. Mavra Kear, Ph.D., ARNP, BC, to lead the organization as its President for the next two years.

Kear, a professor of nursing at Polk State College, coordinates Polk State’s popular new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

In addition to her administrative duties with Polk State, Kear serves as Lakeland Regional Medical Center Endowed Professor in Nursing at the college.

The FNA is the only nursing organization in Florida that represents nurses across specialty and practice areas and is an active advocate for the profession and related policy matters in Tallahassee.

In her Presidential Address Kear spoke passionately about the opportunity she sees to support the state’s nurses in what she calls “the transition from education to practice” and to enhance the association’s advocacy at the statewide level.

Kear also spoke about her pride in being “a member of a profession that is wholly focused on making things better.”

Polk State President Eileen Holden praised Kear’s service to the College and to her profession: “Dr. Kear has played an important part in helping to put our flagship Health Sciences programs on the map, and her election to lead her peers in the coming years is a clear indication of the esteem in which she and our institution are held among the state’s healthcare professionals.”

The B.S.N. program Polk State launched this year is providing Registered Nurses throughout Polk County with the opportunity to complete highly respected bachelor’s degrees while remaining actively engaged in the community’s “high tech, high skill” workforce.

According to Dr. Annette Hutcherson, Director of Polk State’s Department of Nursing, the new program launched with nearly twice as many students as anticipated: “We had to double the number of sections offered, and that’s exactly the sort of adjustment we are prepared to make. It’s all about serving our communities and providing our students with more options in a crucial Health Sciences program.”

Polk State has long been one of the region’s primary producers of nurses: its well-established A.S. degree program leads directly to R.N. licensure, and its nursing students routinely score above the regional, state and national averages on the licensure exam.

Holden sees a connection between the outstanding work Kear has done for Polk State and the trust the FNA has put in its new leader: “She has shown a passion for her profession and a commitment to excellence. Those qualities make her a great fit at Polk State, and they are exactly what her peers have seen in her. We are incredibly proud of the example she is setting.”